How to check a lumber quote

1. Make sure every quote used the same plans

• Find the plan revision and date on each quote. If one yard priced Rev B and another priced Rev C, the totals aren't comparable.
• Check the square footage and the building description match your job.
• Note what each yard assumed where the plans were silent (wall heights, sheeting, roof system).

2. Line up the scope, item by item

This is where most of the money hides. Make a simple list down the left side and mark each quote Included, Excluded or Unclear:

• Wall sheathing (all walls or exterior only?) and roof sheathing
• Headers, beams, posts, and any glulam or LVL
• Structural hardware: hangers, straps, hold-downs, anchor bolts
• Fasteners, adhesive, blocking and backing
• Trusses, I-joists and floor systems, or "by others"
• Stairs, decks, porches and garage framing
• Housewrap and flashing, if this supplier would normally carry them
• Delivery, crane or boom time, and how many drops
• Engineering, layouts and drawing revisions

Read the exclusions and fine print pages, not just the summary. "Unclear" items are questions to send back, not assumptions to make.

3. Spot-check the big quantities

You don't need to redo the takeoff. Check a few lines that carry the most money:

• Studs and plates: rough wall linear footage times stud spacing, plus corners, openings and waste. Is the quote in the right range?
• Sheathing sheets: wall and roof area divided by 32 sq ft per sheet, plus waste.
• Headers and beams: do they match the header schedule on the structural sheets?
• Lengths: are wall heights and precut stud lengths right for your plate heights?

If one quote is far off on a big item, ask that supplier where their number came from.

4. Read the terms

• Price hold: how long is the price good? Lumber prices move, so an expired quote can change.
• Deposit and payment terms, and what happens if your schedule slips.
• Lead times, especially for engineered lumber and trusses.
• Returns and restocking on leftover material.
• Substitutions: can they swap grades or products without asking?

A quick worked example (made-up numbers)

Say Quote A is the lowest bottom line but excludes structural hardware, and Quote B includes it. Quote C includes hardware but charges delivery separately. Before comparing, add your own estimate of hardware to A and the delivery charge to C. Only then do you know which quote is really lowest. The sample page shows a full made-up comparison where the low bid stops being the lowest once the gaps are priced.

Keep the comparison in one place: a simple spreadsheet with scope items as rows and quotes as columns works fine.

5. Adjust the totals, then compare

For every Excluded item, add an estimate of what it will cost you to buy elsewhere. Now compare the adjusted totals. The low bid on paper is sometimes the high bid in reality. Send each supplier a short written list of the Unclear items and get answers in writing before you sign.

Want someone to do this for you?

If you'd rather hand it off, a Quote Check ($150, up to 3 quotes, 2 business days) gives you a one-page summary of the biggest gaps, the terms, and what to ask each vendor. A Bid Review ($450 for up to 3 quotes, $550 for 4, 5 business days) puts every scope line in a workbook, prices the gaps, and shows adjusted totals. I don't contact vendors for you; you get the questions to send. Start an order whenever you're ready.

Questions

How do I compare two lumber quotes?

Confirm both used the same plan revision, mark every scope item Included, Excluded or Unclear on each quote, add a cost for each excluded item, then compare the adjusted totals rather than the bottom lines.

What do lumber quotes most often leave out?

Common gaps are sheathing on some walls, structural hardware, engineered beams, fasteners and blocking, delivery or boom charges, and items marked by others. Always read the exclusions page.

How long is a lumber quote good for?

It varies by supplier. Check the price-hold date on the quote, because lumber prices change and an expired quote can be repriced.

Can you check my quotes for me?

Yes. A Quote Check is $150 for up to 3 quotes, and a Bid Review is $450 for up to 3 or $550 for 4, with priced gaps and adjusted totals.

Second Look Bids does residential and light commercial takeoffs and bid reviews, materials only, anywhere in the US. Advisory only; not engineering or plan review.